Device or machine for cleaning decorated walls



H. F. GRAY.

. DEVICE 0R MACHINE FOR CLEANING nI-:coRATED wAIIs.

, APPLICATION FILED ]AN.16, 1918. 1,834,240. Patented Mm. 16, 1920.

-3 'SHEEISAHEET I.

, H. F. GRAY. DEVICE 0R MACHINE FOR CLEANING DECORATED WALLS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. I6, |9I8. L

Patented Mar. 16, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

H. F. GRAY. DEVICE 0R MACHINE FOR CLEANFNG DECOHATED WALLS. APPLICATION FILED 1AN.|s,19m.

1,334,240. Patented Mar. 16,1920.

3 SHEES-SHEET 3,

- Y v y mm1/Lto@ y ./ff'w Cyl UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

Hanta t. (may, or DENVER, COLORADO.

:DEVICE on MACHINE rea cLEANrNe DEconATEn WALLS.

Application filed Jnuaiy 16, 191B. Serial No. 212,137.

, To all 'cc/wm t 'may concern.'

Be it known that I, Hanna F. Girar, citizen of the United Sta-tes, residing at the city and county of Denver `and State of Gold rado, have invented certain ne\v and useful y Devices or Machines for Cleaning Decorated `Walls; and I do declare the following to be a tull, clear, and exact description ot the in vention,` such as will enable others skilled 1n the art to which it appertains to make and chine for cleaning decorated Walls, being well adapted for cleaning Yvalls of this char acter either papered or painted. The device has been construetedwith special reference to cleaning papered wallsrsince this Work requires rather delicate treatment, `due to the tact that the dirt must be removed Without injuring the paper which inmany instances is oi delicate shade and texture. It is, however,` equally Well adapted Jfor clean ingr painted Walls, but before indicated, this work does not require the same care in manipulation that: is required where the Walls are paper decorated'.`

lleretoliore the diiiiculty of providing a machine adapted to do thiswvork has been vvell recognized owing to the fact that the usc oit any kind of a dry powder .vill not do the Work. since a certain degree of moisture is required in order to remove the soil ,troni` the decorated wall, and powdered material when in a moist condition is very difficult to handle'o'r feed `evenly and with suiicient ac; cu acy to use in connection with a' machine equipped with a rotary cleaning `ureraber. Hence, l have conceived the` idea of using rotary holder upon which mounted a co1nposition roll oit such character that itwvillf` gradually wear away during the cleaning.

operation, thus givingall the' advantages of the use of the `molstened composition by hand, which so far as' I know is the usual method employed in cleaning decorated Walls. .The hand process, however` is very slow` and tedious. By using`` a rotary inem`` ber carrying a composition rollwhich grad ually disintegrates during` the cleaning operation, most excellent results may be obtained. A rubberized product properly vul# canned will give goedY results wordt avec @prima r Hence', my present improvement includes a roller equipped to receive a roll of suitable composition ifor Wall. cleaning purposesfthc roller being` operated from a motor forming a part ol' the machine, the entire structure being portable and oi" such weight that it may be easily moved over the sur'lface or thc wall to be cleaned. In the event that the co nipositionv roll ot such character that it will not normally Wear away or gradually disintegrate with the required freedom d ur ing the clean-ing operation,` and in the event that there should be a tendency ior the dirt or soil taken from the Wall to become enr* bedded in the surface oi? the roll, I have made provision for using an alii'rading meinbcr which is spring held in engagement with the surface of the roll and servesto gradually Wear aivay the material or the roll in order te overcome the aforesaid diiliculty.

l-l'aving briefly outlined Inv improvement,

.l Will proceed to describe the saine in detail.`

rci'ertnce bein made to the accompanylng` drawing, in W iich is illustrated an embodirucrrt thereof. In this drawing:

Figure l a side elevation of my iniproved machine.

Fig'. 2 is a top plan view of the same.`

Fig. 3 isa section taken on the line rh-il, Fig. Al -,l`ookiiug downwardly or viewed in the direction of the arrows, the parts being sliovm, horvever, on a much larger scale.

Fig. ais a section.` taken on the line lf-L41. lililg-, 3, the parts being shown on a still larger scale.

:is a crose section of the machine taken on the line .t3-+45" Fig. looking toward are right.

. Fig; Fig.` 2.

Fig. 7 isa cross section taken on the line 7-.-T, Fig. 5, the parts being shown on a much larger scale.

Fig; 8 isa le elevation of my improved machine shovving a modified form of conv struction.

Fig. 9 is a section a section taken on the line eme,

taken on the line JM-9,

Fig. S, lookingr downwardly motor which may get its current supply` from" housecircuit through the medium of a plug having a suiiicicnt length of conduc tors makei itpracticable` to manipulate the nheele-,ineA over a cbneiderableuwall area with* out changing the socket connection. Upon the shaft 6 of this motor is trunnioned or journaled a frame 7 which is U-shaped 'and consists of two parallel side members 8 and a rear, transverse member9. The openings v1n the side members 8 to receive the trunnions or projections of the motor shaft, are located considerably nearer the rear extremities of these arms than their opposite eX- tremities, the latter being pivotally connected with a shaft 1() carrying a roller 12, preferably composed of wood and grooved, as shown at 13, to receive a cleaning roll 14 which is preferably composed of some suitable composition and adapted for cleaning decorated walls but still of such hardness or consistency that it -Will remain intact when rotated in contact with the surface to be cleaned. Consequently, it must be under# stood that the invention is'not limited to any particular material or cleaning compound. As shown in the drawing, the inner bore of the composition roll is provided with tongue 15 adapted to fit into a corresponding groove 13 of the roller 12. The shaft 10 of the roller is composed of two parts 16 and 17, the part. 16 being secured to the roll 12 by suitable fastening devices 18, the outer extremity of this member being cone-shaped, as shown at 19, to it a socket 20 of counterpart shape formed in one of the side mem-l bers 8 of the frame 7. The entire shaft 10 is polygonal in shape, preferably square, to

' fit a. corresponding perforation in the roller 12. The part 17 of the shaft is provided with a. socket 21 adapted to receive a reduced stem22 with which the part 16 is provided,

A the stem and socket being preferably square in cross section. Between the shoulder 23 formed on the Vpart 16 and the adjacent eX- tremity of the part 17, is located a spiralr spring 24which gives sufiicieut endwise compression or adjustment to make it practicable to press the `part 17 of the shaft inwardly toward thepart 16, a. sufficient distance to permit the insertion of the square reduced end 25 inl al socket formed in a stub shaft 26 which is inserted in van opening formed in one of the side members 8 of the frame 7,A

this stub shaft being interiorly flanged, as shown at 27, to hold itin place, while a pulley 28 is keyed to the shaft member beyond the frame part 8, this pulley being connected by means of a belt 29 with pulley 30ffast on the shaft of the motor. It should be explained that the speed of an ordinaryl motor will be greater than can be advantageouslyV employed in connection with the Consequently, suitable speedreducing means should vbefemployed, though I intend to use aslow speed motor. As shownfin the drawing, the pulley 30 on the motorshaft is considerably smaller than' they pulley 25 on the stub'shaft 26. VConsequent1y,^;the normalv speed of the motorwill struction simply vindicates the fact that I recognize the necessity for suitable speed reducing mechanism which may be of any desired character or construction that mechanical skill or ingenuity may suggest or dictate.

As illustrated in the drawing, the motor frame is equipped with wheels 31 which are journaled in lugs 32, with which the motor frame is provided, these lugs being secured by means of suitable fastening devices 33. Hence, the wheels or casters 31 of the motor will provide in coperation with the composition roll 14 a suit-able support for the machine as it is moved over the surface of the wall or area to be cleaned. As illustrated in the drawing, I provide two leaf springs 34 which are secured to the motor frame at one extremity, as shown at 35, and whose opposite extremities slidably engage the respective side members 8 of the frame, shown at 36. These springs place an inward tension upon the portions of the frame members 8 forward of the motor shaft, whereby the composition roll 14 is caused to engage the surface to be cleaned with. sufficient frictional contact for cleaning purpose-r The springs 34 are so arranged that te stress exerted thereby upon the composition roll is in the direction of the surface to be cleaned. AlVhen, however, the machine is employed on ceilings where it would really be inverted from the position illustrated in Fig, 1, for instance, under which condition there would be a tendency for the composition roll 14 and its connections to move away from the surface to be cleaned l virtue of their weight, it may bc necessary or at least advisable to employ un auxiliary spring 37 which is connected with the stationary part of the motor frame, as shown at 38, and whose opposite extremit is connected as shown at 39 with a projection 40 with which the transverse part 9 of the frame 7 is provided, the spring 37 being nor* inally under tension, whereby it acts to force. the-composition roll 14 against the surface to be cleaned. Thismay be necessary on ceilings, as heretofore indicated, and it may be employed if desired at all times in case any difficultyv should be experienced in gettingl enough strength in the leaf springs 34 to perform the required function.

Where a relatively hard composition roll is employed, as kneaded rubber or soft rubber of such consistency that there would be atendency for the dirt to more from the cleaned surface to penetrate the rubber and remain therein, I may employ an abrading element 41 which consists of a block of abra? sive material 42 which is mounted upon a transverse plate 43 whose opposite extremities merge into rearwardly extending arms 44 provided with ears 45 which project llll lill

tl'irough slots 4:6 formed in the members 8 or the trame 7. The outer extremities oi these ears are connected with ears 47 ciiired to the torn'ard portion oit the menibers 8, by means of spiral syn-ings 48 Awhich are under tension to force the abrasive material against the cnrvedsur'lace of `the composition roller in the rear, the springs 48 being' of such range as to maintain the abrasive substance 'under `tension and in contact with the composition roller until the `latter is completely Wornaway by use. ln this event the frame 7 and the roller 1Q will assume the position shownby dotted lines in Fig'. 6 with the abrasive material of the element -L-l in contact with the surface of the roller 1Q, the composition roll being' entirely removed. j

This machine isadaptedto be manipulated through the medium ot a handle 49 which as shown in the drawing' consists oft two members 50 and 51 jointed at 52, the opposite extremityT of the member 51 being,l connected with the traine of the motor, as shown at both ot these joints being adjustable for the purpose `of changingl the angle oi thc handle as may be `found necessary or convenient. ltach joint has a wing,I nut 5a as an element which when tightened makes a stii or rigid joint, butwhich when loosened allows pivotal adjustment.

From the foregoing description, the use and operation of my iniproyed'machine tor cleaning' decorated Walls or other like surA faces will be readily understood. `Assuming' that the construction is assembled, illus# trated in Finis. l, 2, 5 and 6, the machine is moved over the surface to be cleaned in such a manner that'the compositon roll lilacts upon the said surface with the necessary' pressure to completely remove the soil o1' dirt thereon, thus giving the decorated wall.

:tor instance., the appearance ot new work, the composition roll being' rotated through the instrninentality ot the motor1 with the required, speed toi." the purpose, the debris or dirt combined with the particles of the roll which are Worn a-Way during the operation being' removed 'from the surface through the medium of a brush 55, which is mounted 'upon a stationary part of the machine in such a manner as to engage the surface over the area acted on by the roll 14. As shown in the drawing, this brush is adjustably mounted upon lugs 39. of the motor, one lug on each side, and adjustably secured in place by 'fastening devices 56 which pass through slots 57 formed in arms 58 of the brush head. ln the event the brush becomes Worn, it may be necessary to adjust it, or under some conditions it may be necessary to adjust the brush to cause it to engage the cleaned `surtace with more or less pressure.

ln Figs. 8 and 9 of the drawing, I have illustrated a forni. of construction in which having tufo arms 6;?, extending' downwardly and perforated to receive the shaft 60, While another' arm 63 extends downwardly and carries a VWheel 64; `at its lower extremity. This wheel 6ft together with the two traction Wheels 59 forni the snjjijziort for the machine when in use. The handle is connected with` the topot the main frame or body member insubstantially the same manner as it is connected with the motor trame in the other forni of construction.

Again, `in the form or' construction shown in Figs. 8 and 9, I have shown two stub axles 76, each being termed hollow and in teriorly threaded to `receive `the reduced threaded end` of a metal hub 68 upon which is mounted and made 'tast an auxiliary wood roller 67 which carries "an auxiliary' composition Vroll 69 Whichis secured to the auxiliary roller in any suitable manner. These auxil-` iary composition rolls 69 are utilized in getting into the corners of a room when cleaning: decorated Walls. The threaded connection of the hubs 68 with the hollow stub axles 76 is s1 ich that when the auxiliary rolle ers and their rolls are actuated hiring the operation oili the machine, there will be a tendency to tighten the hubs in place 'rather than unseren* them, but it must be understood, however, that any other suitable means tor connecting the auxiliary hubs with the stub axles 76 may be einployed, since the invention is notdiniited to details oi construction in connection with this or any other lieafture', except as defined by the" appen'dml claims.

In using'the torni oil. construction shown in Finis. 6 and 9 it will be understood that as the machine is moved over the Wall the traction Wheels 59 will be rotated, and this ro tary action transmitti-id to the roller 12, the

auxiliary rollers 67, together with the main composition roll 11i and the` two auxiliary `composition rolls 69 in case two oi these auxiliary rolls should be employed.

The auxiliary rolls 67 are readily detachable by unsere-Wing' the hubs 68 from the stub axles 26 as will be readily understood.

.lila'ving thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A disintegrating composition roll of substantial length for cleaning decorated walls and like surfaces, said roll being adapted to wear away gradually and circumferentially when rotated in contact with the surface to be cleaned..

lil() away gradually and circumferentially during the cleaning act, and means for impart-y ing rotary-,movement to the roll.

, ,3. A device for cleaning decorated Walls and the like,-coinprising a trame adapted to the surface to be cleaned, a

be moved over cylindrical rollof substantial length rotatably mounted thereon, arranged to engage the said surface and adapted to -Wear awa); gradually and circumferentially during the cleaning act, a motoi' mounted to move with the frame, and an operative connection be-Y tween the roll and the motor. Y f 4. A device for cleaning decorated walls and the like, comprising a portable frame,

a cylindrical roll of substantial length 4rotatably mounted on the iframe and lniving its axis parallel With the surface to be cleaned, the' roll being arranged .to engage said surface throughout its entire length, and

Vof such composition that it Will'ivear away gradually and circumferentially during the cleaning act. 1

' 5. A device for cleaning decorated Walls andv the like, comprising a portable frame,

av cylindrical cleaning roll of substantial length rotatably mounted on the frame and so arranged tliatits axis is parallel with the .surface to be cleaned when the device is in use, the roll being of such composition that it will Wear away gradually and circumferentially during the cleaning act, anda motor connected in operative relation with the roll and movable with the frame.

v6. A portable machine for cleaning' decorated WallsA and the like comprising a frame, a disintegnting roll of substantial length rotatably mounted thereon and adapted to Wear awaj.' gradually and circumferentially during the cleaning act, means acting onV the :rollito place it under stress in the direction y of the surface to be cleaned and means connected in operative relation with the roll for actuating the latter.

7. A portable machine for cleaning decorated Walls and the like comprising a traine, a. disintegrating roll olf substantial length jlournaled thereon and adapted to wear away gradually and circumferentially during the cleaning act, means for imparting rotary movement to the roll and an abrading device mounted on the iframe and engaging the roll.

8. A portable machine for cleaning deco rated .Walls and the like comprising' a trame, a disintegratingl roll ol substantial length iournaled therccn and adapted to wear avr-ay gradually and circumferentially during the cleaning act, mer-ns vtor imparting rotary movement vto the roll, and an abrading di vice mounted on the trame. engaging the roll and under stress to maintain such engagement as the roll Wears away.

9. A device tor cleaning decorated wall` and the lile comprising a trame adapted to be moved over the sur'lace to be cleaned, a disintegrating roll of substantial length rotatably mounted ther-cen arranged to engage the said surface and adapted to wear away gradually and circumferentially during the cleaning act, a'coperating auxiliary disintegrating roll member coaxially mounted at the end of the main roll, and means Afor imparting rotary movement ol the main roll and its auxiliary member.

l0. A device for cleaning decorated Walle` and the like comprising a frame adapted to be moved over the surface to be cleaned, a disintegrating roll of substantial length rotatably mounted thereon, arranged to cngage the said surface and adapted to wear away gradually and eircuniterentially during the cleaning act, coperating auxiliary disintegrating roll members coaxially mounted at the respective ends of the main roll, and means for imparting rotary movement to the main roll and its auxiliary members.

In testimony whereof l affix my signature.

(ill 

